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In this Devblog 3xited (aka Exi) will explain the experience revamp that will be implemented in WAKFU. Why this revamp? How does it work? What purpose does it serve? Find all the answers here!

You probably thought that it was only a matter of changing a few experience values for each level, and that’s it. You’ll understand that this matter is much much more complicated!

First: Why the change?

Playing time

The playing time needed to reach the last levels currently in-game was just too high.

Levels 120/130 represented an acceptable time investment to reach “end-game” content, but level 140 was just another story. Also, WAKFU will keep evolving while higher levels unlock, and it quickly became clear that the experience curve would have to be reviewed to adapt to these higher levels.

The experience needed for each level was sometimes increased arbitrarily, especially after level 110. In the long run we don’t want experience to increase that quickly and so early in the character progression.

Calculating experience

The formula used to calculate experience given by monsters was becoming more and more obsolete the higher level you reached. This forced us to always use higher and higher coefficients on monsters XP. In other words, we had to craft our experience curve manually and define the experience gain case by case.

For example, the last families of Wabbit Island had coefficients of 10 while Northern Chafers had a coefficient of 5.

There was also an anomaly that could limit group experience: while a group of 6 with level 120+ could get 3.5 times more experience than in solo, a same group with level 70- could get 6 to 10 times more! At these levels it was simply not interesting at all to play solo, making it much harder for new players without a full group.

Overall the group experience was only interesting if you fought in teams of 6 characters.

Leveling coherency

Areas

For a precise level, the best area to go XP was not always guided enough.

WAKFU is meant to give you as much freedom as possible, but we still have to preserve a degree of coherence and reward players that will fight monsters of their levels. We cannot allow players to gain too much experience by one-shooting monsters that are half their level, without any form of difficulty.

For example, a character level 125 was still able to XP correctly in the Sadida Kingdom, despite the area being level 60 to 70. We don’t want it to give no gain at all, but it should clearly be less interesting than other more adapted areas.

Power leveling

On the other hand, we also want to reduce the effects of power leveling. We still want to allow heterogenic groups to play together, but we don’t want a level 20 to just stick around a level 140 XPing in an area level 130+.

A player starting from scratch with a new character will have to explore and rediscover the low level areas. His level 140 friend will still be able to help him with content adapted to the low level character.

Finally, while Wisdom is an interesting stat, it loses any purpose when being maxed at the cost of other stats, creating characters that only seek experience and offer no help in combats.

New system

Experience given by a monster

We began by reevaluating the experience provided by the monsters. We tried to keep the new values as close as possible from the old ones to preserve the overall scale and keep it intuitive compared to what you’re already used to.

Monsters XP per level

In green, the new curve; in red, the old one

Experience received by a player

At the end of the fight, the experience given to the player can be modified by several factors (Note that Sidekicks count as a normal character in this system):

Average level of the monsters

The difference between your level and the average level of the monsters fought.

A character will gain 100% XP if he fights a monster with a level difference of 10 maximum. It will then lower progressively to offer an acceptable range of monsters to fight.

Monsters are too hard

This extreme is reached when the monster has 70 levels more than the player. Passed this level, the player will not gain any XP.

Monsters are too easy

This extreme is reached when the monster has 80 levels less than the player. Below this level, the player will only get 30% of the XP of this monster. It’s the minimum value, to make sure that you will never get no experience from low level monsters.

With this system, it can still be quite efficient to fight monsters with 40 levels difference.

Amount of opponents

The difference between the amount of fighters in your group, and the opposing group.

More Enemies

When enemies outnumber you, each additional enemy only provides 50% of its XP.
For example:

1 player fighting 2 monsters will get 150% of the experience of a combat versus one monster. ((2-1 * 50% / 1 = 50%)

Being outnumbered is therefore rewarded without being a complete must, taking the duration of the fight into consideration.

More allies

When your group outnumbers the opponent, each additional character reduces the experience received.

The characters will already get less experience because there are less monsters, but this penalty is implemented to make sure that fighting 6 times 1 monsters does not become more interesting than fighting one time 6 monsters with a group of 6.

Level of the character

The difference between your level and the average level of the group. Irrelevant when you fight in a group of your level, it can have an impact when characters are way below the average level: they will not help in the fight in any way.

Bosses

Combats versus bosses are treated differently. When calculating the experience awarded, you will always be considered as having fought a group of your size. The only penalty that will apply will come with the level of the monsters.

For example, Bosses such as the Nun or Gobby Bulga will now provide respectable experience.

Group Bonus

We also decided to modify the group bonus to better meet our expectations:

Characters

1

2

3

4

5

6

New Bonus

+0%

+50%

+100%

+175%

+210%

+250%

Old Bonus

+0%

+20%

+50%

+100%

+160%

+250%

The maximum bonus with 6 characters hasn’t changed: *3.5.

The intermediary bonuses have however been changed to ensure that inviting a new player to the group should always be more beneficial to the group.

The most optimized group to get fast experience should no longer be only 6 members, but 4 to 6 members. Characters with a level lower than a third of the highest level of the group will not count for this bonus.

Group composition

Note also that to allow everyone to find groups of monsters matching their needs, we have modified the spawning proportions of each.

In ecosystems divided in two sub-areas, you’ll find:

Amount of monsters

1

2

3

4

5

6

7

Proportion

10%

17%

17%

17%

17%

17%

5%

Groups of 7 monsters will now appear outside dungeons, with a lower rate than others.

Groups with more than 6 monsters will be considered as having 6 monsters in the count of opponents.

Combat penalty

First, you will no longer have to cast a spell to gain experience for the fight.

Also, penalty in case of death was too limiting and generated complicated situations. For example, it was often not interesting to sacrifice yourself for an ally, or take too much risk for him. Similarly, resurrection abilities were just a necessity to avoid anyone being left aside in terms of reward. Overall, it was just too frustrating to not receive experience and loots for helping your team win a fight by sacrificing yourself.

Experience needed per level

In green, the new curve; in red, the old one

Total experience per levelIn green, the new curve; in red, the old one

Secondary characters

Important note: this feature will not be implemented with this update, but should come with the next one.

The second highest level character of your account will now gain twice more experience until catching up with the number one. The third highest level character will gain three times more experience, until catching up with the second, and then twice more until catching up with the first. And so on for all your characters.

XP Curve

Once all these factors have been designed, an experience curve can be generated by taking a theoretical amount of combats per level, allowing us to deduce the time needed to reach this or that level. For example, reaching level 100 requires the same experience as before, while reaching level 140 now requires 3 billion XP instead of 5.2 billion. This is still a big value, but much more accessible.

Challenges

To finish, another significant modification: the challenge system. We implemented the challenge system in combat to make them more dynamic and better reward risky behavior and investment during the fight. All monsters of the game will offer one challenge while dungeon combats will offer two challenges.

Wisdom and Prospecting limitation

To accentuate the game in this direction, we also decided to limit the maximum experience gain bonus to +150%. This includes Wisdom of the characters with equipment, consumables, other temporary or permanent bonuses and challenges bonuses. To be more concrete, you will now get to choose between equipping yourself with Wisdom items and ignore the challenges or, on the contrary, optimize your equipment for the fight, and try to accomplish the challenges to get similar bonuses.

As a result of this change, Apprentice, Initiate and Sage sets that were all implemented to help you until the revamp of the experience system will now be modified to better fit the new Wisdom cap and other in-game Wisdom equipment.

I hope you’ll enjoy these modifications, and I’ll see you when we reach level 200!

Alright, although Pimento pretty much sumarized this in short for those that don't understand these equations, now it's time for me to step in and mention a flaw that affects me and other multi-boxers.

I like the changes to the new experience curve for individual clienting (meaning solo players that only have one account). Players that multi-box has been nerfed in terms of powerleveling their own accounts (keyword here is accounts, not characters within an account). Therefore, they are no longer benefiting from putting hours into fast-leveling their alts in separate accounts. They are now forced to increase their investment into playing this game by leveling in less-experience gained areas that no longer benefit the higher leveled alts in that multi-boxer's party.

Example: If I have 2 lv 130 characters under separate accounts, and I want to bring a lv 10 character of mine from ANOTHER account, he will no longer benefit from experience in a fight that's more beneficial to the 130's while still being more or less benefiting to the lv 10.

The new system that will be implemented in the next update allowing characters within the same account to earn Experience 2x, 3x their normal amount until reaching the max leveled character in that account, should also be implemented to accounts under the same email AND and address. That way players that are multi-boxing are still rewarded for investing more money into this game, instead of getting a penalty/ nerf.

I'm a bit concerned with this issue because it will no longer be an option to open new accounts.

-Faded

Scary Polter

krowakot05 December 2013 17:30

(Fadedscourge @ 05 December 2013 16:45)

That way players that are multi-boxing are still rewarded for investing more money into this game, instead of getting a penalty/ nerf.

In other words, you'd like to see p2w?

I was thinking about these changes and I think, I know the main reason for them. Same as usually - money.

I'll give you my example. I'm 105lvl and I play on 1 account, so I exp mostly solo. Usually on groups of 2-3 Bworks, Wild Gobbals, Boowolfs or something like that. I gain nice XP and I don't waste breads.

However, the average level of those mobs is way lower than mine. So after the changes, I'll probably get next to 0 XP from them. For solo exping, I'm pretty much forced to exp on Frigost (or another high level area). I have to search for single mobs, which takes time. The fights are very tough and time-consuming. I can die and if I'll win, I have to waste bazilion breads. In other words, the exping for solo player like me will be real pain in the ass after the changes.

However, what if I had multimen and/or alts? The fights would be much easier, I'd put much less money into bread, everything would be great. It's not a coincidence, that the multimen are introduced in the same patch as XP changes. It's all part of the plan of Ankama to get more money.
And don't even tell me, that I should just group with the other players. It's hard to find a group already and with the release of multimen it will be even harder.

In other words, with incoming changesAnkama is almost forcing solo players to pay for new alts and/or multimen.

Soft Crackler

Noobility05 December 2013 17:36

Most multi-boxers already have high lvls on each of their accounts. If you have 6 accounts, I have no idea why one them would randomly be lagging behind the others. The only reason I see is if you subscribed an odd number of accounts then decided to get one extra one later. Multi-boxers already get a slew of advantages over other players, wanting everything to be catered to your optional play-style when you already get everything easy, well it's pretty greedy.

Member

Gynrei05 December 2013 17:49

(krowakot @ 05 December 2013 17:30)

(Fadedscourge @ 05 December 2013 16:45)

That way players that are multi-boxing are still rewarded for investing more money into this game, instead of getting a penalty/ nerf.

In other words, you'd like to see p2w?

I'm a multi-boxer and I have no problem with the new exp system. Any special treatment requested seems ridiculous to me. If Ankama were to give accounts special rules because of some arbitrary reason, I'd stop playing altogether.

Wakfu is a game and every player should have the same access and privileges as everyone else for their subscription fee.

(krowakot @ 05 December 2013 17:30)

In other words, with incoming changesAnkama is almost forcing solo players to pay for new alts and/or multimen.

No. Players should find others near their level and make groups. Ankama is giving players who prefer to solo or who can't find groups an option.

If you want to give Ankama a hard time about "feeling" forced to buy Multimen... complain about the lack of players near your level trying to complete the same content as yourself. Also, an easier way to search for them would be appreciated.

Scary Polter

krowakot05 December 2013 18:40

(Gynrei @ 05 December 2013 17:49)

No. Players should find others near their level and make groups. Ankama is giving players who prefer to solo or who can't find groups an option.

Read my post carefully. Solo players who can't find a group will have new options only if they pay real money for multiman and/or for p2p on alt accounts. Otherwise, their options after the update will be even more limited.

Only 1 month passed from changes to p2p prices and they're already implementing another changes to get more money.

Member

TheMightyShell05 December 2013 18:55

You have a good levelled Cra, and a good leveled Rogue. You get a free Astrub Knight, I'm almost certain you will be able to take on groups of solo Crackchocks or Cracktites.You're just gonna have to think a little bit more than mindlessly grinding on mobs you can easily one shot.

Ugly Gobball

KaiyaNes05 December 2013 20:12

By the way, are enus getting a respec with this update? Since pp is getting nerfed, people can unstat treasure tracker if they don't need it. ^^

I'm about to fight a 8 mob of black wabbits in the Black Wabbit dungeon. Does this mean I'll get less xP since I only have 6 people in my group, after the revamp?

If so, you might consider excluding dungeons, or decreasing the mobs in the dungeons, since it's not our choice whether or not to fight an 8-mob.

Member

Aragnus05 December 2013 23:14

How will the level 50 Krolevel set from the kroshop be affected? Since the post does not mention this set, I assume the set will stay the same and would be considered 'optional wisdom gear for those that don't want to do the challenges'.

Member

Fadedscourge06 December 2013 03:49

(Gynrei @ 05 December 2013 17:49)

(krowakot @ 05 December 2013 17:30)

(Fadedscourge @ 05 December 2013 16:45)

That way players that are multi-boxing are still rewarded for investing more money into this game, instead of getting a penalty/ nerf.

In other words, you'd like to see p2w?

I'm a multi-boxer and I have no problem with the new exp system. Any special treatment requested seems ridiculous to me. If Ankama were to give accounts special rules because of some arbitrary reason, I'd stop playing altogether.

Wakfu is a game and every player should have the same access and privileges as everyone else for their subscription fee.

I'm not saying that multi-clienters should get special treatment, nor am I saying that p2w is how it should be, I would not be playing if that was the case.

My point is, If I have 3 accs, and I want to open a new acc, I will no longer have the same flexibility to powerlevel that new acc as it is currently in game. I am forced to level that character at a MUCHHHHHHHHHHH slower pace than I want to.

I never do this, but, If I need a xelor, per say. I currently have the option to level it to 110 in about 1-2 weeks, more or less. I do not play everyday, therefore I'm just giving an example. Continuing, That xelor is under the same owner, I am not benefiting from any special treatment.

With this experience revamp, I will no longer be able to do what I stated above. Any multi-boxer that have characters in accounts that are on par with each character in levels do not suffer from this. The problem lies within new accounts opened. Therefore it is a nerf.